Insole and method of making the same



.Sept. 9, 1941.

5. M mswou:

' INSOLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SQME 7 Filed Au 25, 1939 2Sheets-Sheet 1 .IIIIIIIIIIII Sept. 9, 1941. s. M. G RISWOLD' INSOLE ANDMETHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Aug. 25, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TigB.

Patented Sept. 9, 1941' INSOLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Stanley M.Griswold, Newton, Mass., assignor to B. B. Chemical 00., Boston, Mass.,a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 25, 1939, Serial No.291,939

26 Claims.

A. E. Johnson, in which a leather insole is pro-,

vided with outside and inside channels the flaps of which are turned upand cemented together, the insole being then reinforced with a layer of'canvas which covers the area of the insole inside the rib and extendsto the top of the rib.

This all-over canvas reinforcement adds considerably to the cost of theinsole and I have discovered that results equally as good, so far asstrength and durability of the insole are concerned and which representa very substantial saving in cost, may be obtained by confining thereinforcement to the inner face of the rib and to the adjacent surfaceof the insole. This may be done, for example, by providing a strip ofcanvas of indefinite length which preferably is square cut asdistinguished from bias cut and secured to the rib and body of theinsole with pressure-responsive cement so that the strip extendswidthwise from the base of the rib inwardly, preferably beyond theinside channel far enough so that there will be no danger of its edgebeing caught by the needle of the Welter, and the other portion extendsfrom the base of the rib substantially to the top thereof but not beyondthe top so that no trimming of the strip is necessary.

Advantageously the reinforcing material may be laid first along one sideof the insole and then along the other side without attempting thedimcult and unnecessary operation of laying the strip around the toe endof the insole. A strip may he laid along one side of the insole from thetoe end toward the breast line, the end of the strip being preferablyallowed to extend beyond the rib at the toe end of the insole and cutoff substantially at the breast line. Then a strip is laid along theother side of the insole from the breast line toward the toe end of theinsole and may be carried slightly beyond the toe end of the insolebefore it is cut ofi so that its end extends across the end of thepreviously laid strip. The rib at the toe end of the insole, where it isusually weak, is thus reinforced by two layers of canvas where thestrips cross each other.

I regard as a new article of manufacture an insole thus reinforced alongeach side by a separate strip, the strips extending to the toe end andpreferably overlapping to provide a double reinforcement at the toe.

In the practice of my improved method of laying the strip on the insolethe margin of the insole and the outer face of the rib are supported andthe insole continuously fed past an operating point, at which point onemarginal portion of the strip is forced against the body of the insole,and the other marginal portion of the strip is pressed against the innerface of the supported rib.

In laying the marginal portion of the strip against the body of theinsole, it is very important to prevent the strip from moving laterallywith respect to the applying instrumentalities since this would vary thewidth of the marginal portion applied to the rib; and, since themarginal portion applied to the insole must be bent laterally to followthe curves of the rib, it is especially important that different lateralportions of the margin of the strip thus applied to the body of theinsole correspond in length to the length of the insole surface to whichthey are applied. That is, the portion of the strip which is applied tothe body of the insole may be regarded as divided into parallel zonesextending lengthwise of the strip, and it is desired to cause the lengthof each zone to correspond to the length measured on the insole to whichthat zone is applied notwithstanding the lateral curving of the strip tofollow the curves of the rib. This control of the strip is effected byan applying roll provided about its periphery with a series of spurslong enough to pass through the strip but which need not be long enoughto engage the body of the insole because the strip sticks to the insolewhen it contacts therewith.

It will be seen that when one marginal portion I of the strip is beinglaid against the body of the insole by an applying roll thus constructedthe length of the zone applied by each lateral portion of the roll willcorrespond to the distance traveled by said portion in contact with theinsole and since, because of the spurs, there can be no movement of thestrip relatively to the roll except in the direction of the spurs, thiswill be true as the applying roll follows the curve of the insole rib.For example, in rounding a curve which is convex with respect to a pointon the interior of the insole, the lateral portion of the roll carryingthe inner zone will traverse a longer line on the insole body than thelateral portion of the roll which applies the zone at the base of therib and, of course, the length of the zone of the strip applied by thatlateral portion of the roll will be less than that applied by thefirstmentioned lateral portion of the roll. This action of the applyingroll consists in treating (stretching or compressing) various zones ofthe fabric strip to make them correspond in length to the lengths on theinsole to which they are applied.

Another important aspect of the invention relates to a method ofhandling the strip to cause the strip to line the angle between theinner face of the rib and the body of the insole. In accordance with themethod, the portion of the strip which is to be laid against the insolerib is first bent in a direction opposite to the direction of feed. Itis then carried over an edge adjacent to the applying roll by which itsdirection is changed so that it extends horizontally and parallel to theinner face of the rib.

Other aspects of the invention relate to the treatment of the strip invarious ways for the purpose of stiffening it to form a firmer rib andfor the purpose of protecting the cement bond between the strip and theinsole from the action of the binder used in the usual shoe filler orboth.

In a further aspect the invention relates to heat treatment of the stripas it is applied for the purpose of enhancing the cement bond whetherthe strip is stifliened or not and, if stiff.-

ened, to render it temporarily limp to facilitate its application to theinsole.

These and other aspects of the invention will appear more fully from thefollowing detailed description when read in connection with theaccompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a welt insole (that is, an insole foruse in the manufacture of a welted shoe) the rib of which has beenreinforced along one side by a strip of canvas in accordance with thepresent invention;

Fig.2 is a similar view showing the insole of Fig. 1 with a reinforcingstrip applied also along the other side of the insole, the second stripoverlapping the first strip at the toe end;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail of the toe end of the reinforced insoleafter the reinforcing strips have been formed in at the toe end where.they

cross;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of apparatus for applying the strip to theinsole, the insole being shown in section;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, the apparatus taken fromthe right of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation, partly in section, of the apparatus shown inFig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4 taken froma point toward the rear, the upper feed roll being omitted;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the apparatus shown in Fig. 7including the upper feed roll; and

Fig. 9 is a view of the strip illustrating the manner in which it ispresented and manipulated in applying it to the insole.

In practising the method of the present invention, a ribbed insole isprovided which may be a leather insole l having inside and outsidechannels the flaps of which are turned up and cemented together to forma rib l2, which rib is to be reinforced on its inner face by a. canvasstrip l4 applied by the present novel method to the inner face of therib l2 and to the a ja en body portion of the insole. Of course theinvention is not limited to the particular manner of forming the ribsince insoles having ribs formed in various ways may be reinforced inaccordance with the present method. The inner face of the rib l2 and theadjacent portion of the body of the insole are preferably coated withpressureresponsive cement such as water-dispersed rubber cement, forexample latex, and one face of the reinforcing strip I4 is similarlycoated, the coatings being allowed to dry. The coated face of the stripI 4 is then laid along the inner face of the rib l2 and against the bodyof the insole,

first along one side of the sole, for example from the toe end towardthe breast line It, the strip at the toe end being preferably allowed toextend slightly beyond the toe end of the insole, as illustrated inFig. 1. A strip IB is then applied along the other side of the insole,as shown in Fig. 2, preferably from the breast line I6 forwardly towardthe toe, the strip pr'eferably being allowed to extend slightly beyondthe rib at the toe before it is severed. Thus, the toe end of the secondstrip I8 is laid over the toe end of the first strip l4, and the rib I!at the toe end of the insole is reinforced with two thicknesses of thestrip, this being particularly desirable since at the toe end the ribformed by the usual channel flaps is aptto be fragile. This procedureresults in the end of the second strip being laid over the end of thefirst strip always in the same direction and since the waiting machineoperator always starts sewing at the breast line with the toe of theshoe toward his right, whether the shoe is a right or a left, thechannel guide of the welter will pass over the lap of the strips at thetoe in the same direction in which the second strip was laid and willnot catch on the end of the strip.

For applying the strips [4 and I8 to the insole Ill apparatus such asthat illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 may be utilized. When so usedthe insole is supported by a feed roll 20 and a table 22 adjacentthereto. The rear portion 23 of the feed roll 20 is frusto-conical witha rearward taper (Figs. 5, '7 and 8). Cooperating with the feed roll 20is a second feed roll 24 having a frusto-conical portion 25, the lowerpart of which is substantially parallel to the adjacent upper part ofthe conical portion 23 of the feed roll 20. The feather portion oftheinsole is introduced between the rolls and the rolls are pressedtogether, the rolls being positively and continuously driven to feed theinsole. As shown in Fig. 5, the cooperating conical surfaces 23 and 25of the feed rolls bend the feather portion of the insole toward theinner or foot-engaging face of the insole to cause the rib to assume anupright position nearly perpendicular to the body portion of the insole.In order to insure-a positive and continuous feed of the insole, thelower feed roll may be covered with friction material such as rubber, asillustrated in Fig. 8.

The outer face of the rib of the insole is supported by the end face ofthe feed roll 24, which face is formed partly by the head of a screw 26by which the feed roll 24 is secured to its shaft. The head of the screwand the end of the feed roll are formed as a flat cone, the lower partonly of which engages the rib and supports it with its inner facesubstantially perpendicular to the body of the insole. Since it ishighly desirable, to facilitate inseaming operations, that the rib ofthe insole have an inward inclination or at least that it be notinclined outwardly,

preferably, and as illustrated, is composed of a the lips forming therib are usually initially set in an inwardly inclined position. Theaction of he feed rolls, however, is to bend down the feather of theinsole and cause the rib to assume during the strip applying operation aposition substantially perpendicular to the body portion of the insole.After the strip applying operation, however, the leather reacts and therib tends to assume its initial position.

The strip material utilized for reinforcing the insole is preferablymade by cutting Gem duck into strips of the required width, the outbeing made parallel to the warp or woof and preferably to the warp sincein this way the strip material may be produced very cheaply and thefilling threads which are usually stronger than the warp threads willextend transversely of the strip, that is, they will extend in thedirection whichwill afford the greater reinforcement for the insole lipand inseam. It is not necessary to have the strip material cut on thebias in order to be readily applied to the insole by the present method.I

The strip material is coated on one face with a pressure-responsivecement such as water-dispersed rubber cement, for example latex, and thecement allowed to dry, whereupon the strip material may be done up inrolls of indefinite length without danger of contacting portions of thematerial adhering to each other. Such a source of strip material isindicated at 21 (Fig. 4). From the source of supply the strip may be ledtoward the insole in a direction substantially normal, that is, at a'substantial angle to the part of the body of the insole against which itis laid, whereby the strip will contact with a substantial portion ofthe periphery of the applying roll, the strip adjacent to the rollpassing through a guide formed between a small plate 28 (Fig. 4) and alarger plate 29. It is desirable, as the strip passes through the guide,that a marginal portion 30 thereof be bent toward the right as viewed inFig. 4, that is toward the direction from which the insole is fed oropposite to the direction of feed. Accordingly, the portion of the guide28, 29 which engages the marginal portion 30 of the tape is bent in adirection opposite to the direction of feed and the strip, as itapproaches the insole, will have the marginal portion 30 bent withrespect to the marginal portion 32 toward the right as shown in Fig. 4.As the marginal portion 30 leaves the guide it is carried around acurved edge 34 (indicated by a dotted line in Fig. 6) preferably formedon the plate 29 forming a part of the guide. As the marginal portion 30is carried around the edge 34 it assumes a position in which it extendsparallel to the inner face of the rib l2.

This handling of the strip may be better understood from Figs. '7 and 9where the numerals 30 and 32 indicate the vertical portions of the stripas it passes through the guide toward the insole and the numerals 30',32' (Fig. 9) indicate, respectively, the portions 30, 32 of the canvasstrip after they have been brought into position to be applied to theinsole.

As herein illustrated, the portion 30' is applied to the inner face ofthe rib by a rubbing action and the portion 32' is applied to the bodyof the insole mainly by a rolling action, and for this purpose theapparatus best shown in Figs.

7 and 8 is utilized. This apparatus comprises an applying roll indicatedgenerally by the reference character 36 which may be in one p1ece butplurality of disks, for example the three disks 38, 40 and 42. Thesedisks are mounted for free rotation upon a stud 46 secured at 48 to anapplying-roll carrier 50 which is pressed toward the insole by anysuitable means. The stud 46 has a head 52 as large as the adjacentdisk42, the head being thickened on its lower side to form a lip 54 (Fig. 8)which runs in the angle between the rib l2 and the body of the insoleand rubs the marginal portion 30' of the reinforcing strip against theinner face of the rib while the outer face of the rib is supported bythe conical end face of the feed roll 24 (Fig. ,8). The lower edge ofthe head 52 acts to rub a' narrow portion of the strip against the bodyof the insole at the base of the rib. The applying roll 36, includingthe lip 54, is urged toward the inner face of the rib by means of aspring-56 (Figs. 5 and '7) and thus the rib of the insole and theportion 30' of the reinforcement are held between the conical end faceof the feed roll 24 and the lip 54 in a position substantiallyperpendicular to the insole.

Control of the strip to insure that the width of the marginal portion 30will correspond to the height of the rib so that notrimming will benecessary, and particularly control of the portion 32 to cause it tofollow reverse curves found at the base of the insole rib, is veryimportant and is attained in accordance with the present invention bypreventing movement of the strip with respect to the applying rollexcept in a direction radial of and away from the roll. For this purposeeach of the disks composing the roll is provided about its peripherywith a. series of fine spurs 44 which may be only long enough to passthrough the strip and serve to prevent any lateral movement of the stripwith respect to the roll as a whole. The portion of the strip laidagainst the body of the insole may be considered as divided laterallyinto as many zones extending lengthwise of the strip as there are disks,each zone corresponding in width to the width of the disk engaged by it.Each disk, by pressing its zone against the insole, causes it to adhereto the insole and become immovable with respect thereto. Some of thespurs on each disk engage the portion of the strip which is fast to theinsole and thus each disk is geared to the insole. At the same time,since each zone of the strip extends about the periphery of the disk forapproximately of its circumference and is impaled by the spurs thereon,each zone is geared to the disk which engages it. Thus each diskprevents movement with respect to the disk of that zone of the stripwhich is in engagement with that disk. This causes a controlling actionof the roll upon the strip the effect of 'which is that when the portion32 of the strip is being laid adjacent to a curved portion of the insolerib the length of the zone of the strip laid by the disk 42 willcorrespond to the distance traveled by that disk, the length of the zonelaid by the disk 38 will correspond to the distance traveled by thatdisk, and the length of the intermediate zone laid by the disk 40 willcorrespond to the distance traveled by that disk. For

example, as the strip is being applied along the curved portion of therib such as C in Fig. 2, the disk 38 will travel farther than the disk42, but since the strip cannot move relatively to the disk the length ofthe zone of the strip applied by the disk 38 must correspond to thedistance traveled by that disk, and the length of the zone applied bythe disk 42, which of course travels a less distance, must correspond tothe less distance traveled by that disk, the disk 40 applying a zone ofintermediate length to anintermediate distance. In going about a concaveportion such as that at C (Fig. 2) the conditions are, of course,reversed, the inner disk 38 then traveling a less distance than theouter disk 42. In any case, however, the length of the zone of-the stripapplied by each disk corresponds to the distance the disk travels. Thestrip is distorted (i. e., stretched or compressed) to permit theoperation to be carried out substantially as above explained.

When the rib l2 of the insole is formed in part by the lip of an insidechannel as illustrated, it is desirable so to form the applying rollthat the strip 32 will be forced down into the channel at the base ofthe rib as well as against the body portion of the insole adjacent tothe channel. Accordingly, the disk 42 is formed with a portion ofgreater diameter so that the edge face of this portion will force thestrip into the recess formed by turning up the flap of the insidechannel. Also, the diameter of the head 52 is made equal to that of thelarger diameter of the disk 42 for the same purpose. Referring to Figs.4, '7 and 9, it will be seen that the applying roll 36 lies between thevertical part 32 and the hurl-- zontal part 32' of the strip of fabric,transition of the strip from one position to the other being effected byits passage around a substantial portion of the periphery of theapplying roll, and that the pressure of the applying roll against theportion 32 as it assumes its horizontal position causes that portion toadhere to the body of the insole. At the same time the edge 34 of theplate 29 attached to the guide 28 lies between the vertical part 30 ofthe strip and the horizontal part 30 where they overlap each other andcauses the transition of the marginal portion 30 from its verticalposition, bent to extend opposite to the direction of feed of theinsole, to its upwardly bent horizontal position 30 parallel to the rib.This transition is made just in advance of the applying roll; therefore,there is no opportunity for the cemented side of the marginal portion30' to engage any cemented surface of the insole before or during itstransition around the edge 34 from the vertical to the horizontalposition. When it reaches this position it engages the cemented innersurface of the rib and adheres thereto.

The strip should be maintained under some tension as it passes from thesupply roll 21 to the applying roll 36 and, as shown in Figs. 4 and 7,this tension may be produced by a leaf spring 58 arranged to be pressedby a screw 60 against the strip where the strip passes over the plate 29before it enters the guide 28.

It is advantageous to bend the insole l downwardly as it leaves the roll20 (Fig. 4), thus giv-' ingv the insole a longitudinal curvature whichovercomes the tendency of the strip, due to its being laid undertension, to contract and bend the insole in the opposite direction. Thisdownward bending of the insole also enables it to conform readily to thelongitudial curvature of the last bottom and lie closely against it, thelasting of the upper over the insole being thus facilitated.

In order that the reinforced rib may be sufficiently stiff to withstandthe pull of the lasted upper without bending outwardly to any substatial extent, it is desirable, particularly when duck or canvas of alight weight is employed from which to form the reinforcing strip, toapply stiffening material to the strip or to the web from which it ismade. The stiffening of the material may be done either in the Web or inthe strip, the stiffening material employed being preferably a gum suchas dammar, copal, cumaron or Nuba. Solutions of these gums may beemployed to treat the strip material. The stifiening solution does notpenetrate sufficiently to affect the bond of the cement to the fabric.The gum solution not only serves to stiffen the fabric but also protectsthe cement bond between the strip and the insole from being affectedadversely by the binders used in making filler materials such, forinstance, as the wax tailings so frequently employed in fillers. Forstiffening the strip material I prefer to use a gum sold under the nameNuba by the Neville Company, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, not onlybecause it is cheap but because it has been found to be very suitablefor the purpose. Nuba is obtained as a residue of the distillation ofcoal tar and belongs to the aromatic series. Nuba may also be describedas a thermoplastic coal, tar pitch. Nuba, of the grade employed, has amelting point between and C., is thermosoftenlng, tough, elastic, andreadily soluble in benzol and naphtha, the following formula having beenfound satisfactory:

. Per cent Nuba '70 Benzol 15 Naphtha l5 Cumar gum or cumaron resin isalso effective Soy-bean protein grams 100 Ammonia cubic centimeters 10Urea grams 30 Water cubic centimeters 860 Cellulose derivatives may alsobe employed as a stiffening agent; for example, 20 parts of celluloseacetate or cellulose nitrate may be dissolved in 80 parts of methylacetone, and a suitable plasticizer for the cellulose derivative such asdibutyl phthalate added in a small proportion.

Any of the above suggested materials will serve as stiffening materialfor the strip and hence for the rib of the insole and will protect thecement bond between the strip and the insole from being adverselyaffected by the binder in the filling material which is applied to theinsole.

Preferably one of the above stiffening solutions, for example the Nubasolution, is first applied to a web of fabric such as Gem duck, afterdrying, the fabric is coated with latex and dried. The web is then cutlengthwise of the warp into strips of suitable width, each strip beingmade into a 'roll of suitable siZe to be handled by the abovedescribedapparatus. In the strip thus made the warp extends, of course,lengthwise of the strip and the woof or filling extends transversely ofthe strip. Since the filling threads are stronger than the warp threads,this provides a strip of greater transverse than longitudinal strengthwhich is of advantage since the greatest strain on the reinforcingfabric, when in use, is transversely of the strip. This advantageobtains, of course, whether the strip is stiffened or not.

To enable the stiffened strip material to be conveniently handled inaccordance with the method of the present invention and by the apparatusdescribed, it is desirable to heat the strip to render it temporarilylimp and flexible to enable it to be laid upon the insole. For thispurpose a heating device 62 (Fig. 4) is provided which is arranged abovethe guide 28 in close proximity to the strip so that the strip, beforeit reaches the applying roll, will be heated and rendered limp. Theheating element 62 is preferably electrical and of such wattage that asthe strip passes close to it but without contact therewith it will beheated by radiation to a temperature of approximately 250? F. In orderthat the heated strip may not be chilled by the applying r011 36,another heating element 64 may be secured to the support of the applyingroll so that it will be heated by conduction, thus insuring that thestrip when handled by the applying roll will be in a limp condition.

Either or both of the heating elements 62, 64 may be advantageouslyemployed whether or not the reinforcing strip is impregnated withthermoplastic material, it having been found that the bond of the stripagainst theinsole produced by the latex cement is considerably enhancedif the strip is applied to the insole in a heated condition.

The novel reinforcing strip referred to herein is claimed in myapplication Serial No. 404,299, filed July 28, 1941.

Apparatus for practicing the herein-disclosed method is disclosed andclaimed in Griswold and Nash Patent No. 2,242,248, granted May 20, 1941.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An insole having an upstanding rib and a reinforcing narrow stripalong each side of the insole extending from the breast line to the toeend, one portion of each strip being secured to the body of the insoleand another portion of each strip to the inner face of the rib, saidstrips extending to and overlapping each other at the extreme toe end ofthe insole doubly to reinforce the rib where the strips overlap.

2. An insole having an upstanding rib and a narrow reinforcing stripalong each side of the insole extending from the breast line to the toeend, one portion of each strip being secured to the body of the insoleand another portion of each strip to the inner face ofthe rib, saidstrips extending to the toe end of the insole and having their toe endslaid one upon the other.

3. An insole having an upstanding rib and having the inner face of therib and the adjacent portion of the body of the insole reinforced bynarrow strips of fabric out from the web parallel with the warp, eachstrip extending from the breast line to the toe, the toe portion of onestrip being laid over the toe portion of the other strip to afford adouble reinforcement for the rib.

4. An insole for welt shoes comprising a body portion having a ribformed thereon, said rib. being reinforced with a narrow strip of fabricimpregnated with thermoplastic stiffening material, one marginal portionof said strip being secured to the body of the insole and the othermarginal portion secured to the inner face of the rib by rubber cementapplied to the impregnated strip.

5. An insole for welt shoes having a body portion provided with a sewingrib, and fabric reinforcing strips extending from the breast line to thetoe at each side of the insole, said strips containing stiffeningmaterial and having one marginal portion attached to the body of theinsole and the other marginal portion to the inner face of the rib, saidstrips overlying each other at the toe end of the insole to form adouble reinforcement for the rib.

6. An insole for welt shoes comprising a body portion having a ribformed therein, said rib along eachside of the insole being reinforcedwith a strip of fabric impregnated with thermoplastic stifieningmaterial, one marginal portion of each strip being secured to the bodyof the insole and the other marginal portion secured to the inner faceof the rib, said strips being disposed one over the other at the toe endwhereb the rib at the toe is doubly reinforced.

7. An insole for welt shoes comprising a body portion having a ribthereon, said rib along each side of the insole being reinforced with astrip of fabric, one marginal portion of each strip being bonded withlatex cement to the body portion and the other marginal portion beingbonded with latex cement to the inner face of the rib, saidstrips beingimpregnated with a thermoplastic material to prevent the action of shoefilling material from adversely affecting the cement bond between thestrip and the insole.

8. That improvement in methods of treating insoles which consists inlaying a strip of material along a line at a predetermined distance fromthe curved edge of an insole, and positively controlling zones of thestrip so that the length of each zone will be equal to the length of thecurve measured on the insole against which that zone is laid.

' 9. That improvement in methods of reinforcing insoles which consistsin laying a strip of reinforcing material along the marginal portion ofan insole so as to follow the lateral curvatures thereof, and positivelycontrolling the length of several lateral zones of the strip laid alongthe inside and outside of the curve so that the lengths of the saidzones of the strip will be equal respectively to the lengths of theinside and outside of the curve.

10. That improvement in methods of reinforc-v ing insoles which consistsin applying a strip of material along a marginal area of an insolesubstantially parallel to the curved edge thereof, and controlling innerand outer portions of the strip so that the length of the inner portionof the strip will be equal to the length of the inner edge of the areaof the insole against which the-strip is laid and the length of theouter portion of the strip will be equal to the length of the outer edgeof the area along which the strip is laid.

11. That improvement in methods of reinforcing insoles which consists inproviding an insole having an upstanding rib and havingpressureresponsive cement on the iner face of the rib and the adjacentportion of the insole, applying one the adjacent portion of the insole,moving the insole continuously, applying one marginal portion of acemented strip progressively to the inner face of the rib,simultaneously positively controlling the other marginal portion tocause the lengths of various zones thereof to equal the lengths measuredon the insole against which they are laid, and laying said zones againstthe body of the insole.

13. That method of reinforcing insoles which consists in providing aninsole having an upstanding rib, applying a reinforcing strip to thebody of the insole and to the inner face of the rib in a direction fromthe toe end of the insole toward the breast line, and then applying aseparate strip to the body of the insole and the inner face of the ribon the opposite side of the shoe from the breast line toward the toe,the end of the second strip overlying the end of the first strip.

14. That improvement in methods of reinforcing insoles which consists inproviding an insole having an upstanding rib substantially perpendicularto its body portion, supporting the upstanding rib from movementoutwardly of the insole, applying a reinforcing strip to the body of theinsole and to the inner face of the upstanding rib by forcing onemarginal portion of the strip into contact with the body of the insolewhile positively' restraining it continuously from movement laterally ofthe insole at its point of application thereto, and pressing the stripinto the angle between the inner face of the rib and the body of theinsole and against the irmer face of the rib.

15. That improvement in methods of reinforcing insoles which consists inproviding an insole having an upstanding rib and havingpressureresponsive cement on the inner face of the rib and the adjacentportion of the body of the insole, providing reinforcing material in theform of a strip of indefinite length having pressure-responsive cementon one side thereof, guiding said strip under tension to its point ofapplication to the insole, applying rolling pressure to one marginalportion of the strip to force it into adhesive contact with the body ofthe insole, and working the trip into the angle and against the innerface of the rib throughout its heightwise extent.

16. That improvement in methods of reinforcing insoles which consists inproviding an insole with an upstanding rib, supporting the rib in aposition substantially perpendicular to the body of'the insole, feedingthe insole continuously, positively restraining a reinforcing strip frommovement laterally of the insole, progressively applying the reinforcingstrip to the body of the insole and to the inner face of the upstandingrib by forcing one marginal portion of the strip into contact with thebody of the insole and pressing the other marginal portion of the stripagainst the substantially perpendicular inner face of the rib.

1'7. That improvement in methods of reinforcing ribbed insoles whichconsists in continuously feeding an insole by engagement with theportion of the insole outside of the rib while supporting the rib in anupright position, laying one marginal portion of a strip of materialagainst the body of the insole adjacent to the rib, and simultaneouslyforcing the other marginal portion against the inner face of thesupported rib.

18. That improvement in methods of reinforcing ribbed insoles whichconsists in continuously feeding an insole by engagement withthe portionof the insole outside of the rib while supporting the rib in an uprightposition, rolling one marginal portion of the strip against the body ofthe insole adjacent to the rib, and simultaneously rubbing the othermarginal portion against the inner face of the supported rib.

19. That improvement in methods of reinforcing ribbed insoles whichconsists in continuously feeding an insole past an operating point,supporting the rib, laying one marginal portion of the strip against thebody of the insole, simultaneously forcing the other marginal portionagainst the inner face of the supported rib, and

bending the insole toward its unribbed face as having an upstanding rib,supporting the rib in a position substantially perpendicular to the bodyof the insole, feeding the insole continuously, heating a cemented stripof reinforcing material, applying the heated strip to the body of theinsole and to the inner face of the upstanding rib by forcing onemarginal portion of the strip into contact with the body of the insoleand pressing the strip into the anglebetween the inner face of the riband the body of the insole and against the substantially perpendicularinner face of the rib.

21. That improvement in methods of reinforcing insoles which consists inproviding an insole having an upstanding rib, feeding the insole, ap-

plying a reinforcing strip to the body of the insole and to the innerface of the upstanding rib by leading the strip toward the insole in adirection substantially normal to the plane of the insole with amarginal portion of the strip bent toward the direction from which theinsole is fed, bringing the other marginal portion of the strip into theplane of the insole, and, while pressing said marginal portion againstthe body of the insole, bending the first-mentioned marginal portion ofthe strip into a position parallel to the rib and pressing it againstthe inner face of the rib.

22. That improvement in methods of reinforcing insoles which consists inproviding an insole having an upstanding rib and havingpressureresponsive cement on the inner face of the rib and the adjacentportion of the body of the insole, providing reinforcing material in theform of a strip of indefinite length having pressureresponsive cement onone side thereof, guiding said strip under tension in a directionperpendicular to the plane of the insole to its point of application tothe insole, changing the direction of the strip so that one marginalportion is parallel to the plane of the insole while bending the othermarginal portion of the strip into a position parallel to the inner faceof the rib, and pressing said marginal portions respectively against thebody of the insole and against the rib.

23. That improvement in methods of reinforcing insoles which consists inproviding an insole with an upstanding rib and with pressure-responsivecement on the inner face of the rib and the adjacent portion of the bodyof the insole, presenting a reinforcing strip provided withpressure-responsive cement in a substantially vertical position withrespect to the plane of the insole with one marginal portion of thestrip bent at an angle with respect to .th remainder of th strip,causing transition of the strip from said position to a position inwhich one marginal portion of the strip is in a plane parallel to theplane of the insole and the other marginal portion is in a planeparallel to the inner face of the rib, and as the transition progressespressing said marginal portions respectively against the body of theinsole and against the rib.

24. That improvement in methods of reinforcing insoles which consists inproviding an insole having an upstanding rib and having rubber cement onthe inner face of the rib and on the adjacent portion of the body of theinsole, supporting the outer face of the rib, feeding the insolecontinuously, heating a rubber cemented strip of reinforcing material,and applying the heated strip to the body of the insole and to the innerface of theupstanding rib by forcing one marginal portion of the stripinto contact with the body of the insole and another portion of thestrip into the angle between the inner face of the rib and the body ofthe insole and against the inner face of the rib.

25. That improvement in methods of reinforcing insoles which consists inproviding an insole having an upstanding rib and pressure-responsivecement on the inner face of the rib and the adjacent portion of the bodyof the insole, providing reinforcing material in the form of a strip ofindefinte length having pressure-responsive cement on one side thereofand impregnated with thermoplastic stiffening material, guiding thestrip toward the insole, heating the strip as it approaches the insole,and laying one marginal portion of the strip against" the body of theinsole and the other marginal portion of the strip against the-innerface of the rib.

26. That improvement in methods of reinforcing insoles which consists inproviding an insole having an upstanding rib and pressure-responsivecement 0n the inner face of the rib and the adjacent portion of the bodyof the insole, providing reinforcing material in the form of a strip ofindefinite length containing stiffening material and havingpressure-responsive cement on one side thereof, applying rolling andrubbing pressure to one marginal portion of the strip to stick it to thebody of the insole, and applying rubbing pressure to the other marginalportion of the strip to stick it against the inner face of the insolerib.

STANLEY M. GRISWOLD.

